Minnesota and Wisconsin recently joined the list of states aiming for a 100% clean-energy future, while some Illinois lawmakers are pushing for not only carbon-free power, but also 100% renewable energy.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) was the latest to announce a set of policy proposals designed to lead his state’s electricity sector to 100% clean energy by 2050. “Climate change is an existential threat,” Walz said in a statement on March 4. “We must take immediate action. If Washington won’t lead, Minnesota will.”

Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility, has already publicly committed to generate 100% of its electricity from clean energy by 2050. Xcel operates three nuclear reactors in Minnesota—the dual-unit 1,100-MW Prairie Island facility and the single-unit 671-MW Monticello plant. Nuclear power fits the bill as a carbon-free source, but none of the three units is currently licensed to operate beyond 2034.

In neighboring Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers (D) also wants to require his state’s utilities to be carbon-free by 2050.…

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